The Proposal

Kevin surprised me with a spontaneous weekend trip to Santa Barbara. We spent the day riding bikes across town, walking on the beach and wine tasting. At sunset, Kevin took me to a secluded bluff overlooking the ocean. We could see the entire Santa Barbara coastline, lit beautiful shades of orange from the setting sun. We were surrounded by flowers and completely alone in our perfect spot. Kevin turned to me, took my hands and got down on one knee to propose. He asked me if I would spend the rest of my life having fun with him. I said "yes" a million times, through tears, of course. Kevin put a gorgeous diamond on my finger and we both went to dinner with riduculous smiles on our faces. We ate at Bucatini restaurant, where everyone congratulated us and asked how we met and how he proposed, etc..(we were grinning like idiots and taking pictures of the ring, so people figured out pretty quickly what was going on.) At dinner we exchanged stories about the events leading up to our engagement day. He told me how sneaky he was, and I told him how much I knew.
Kevin planned an incredible day and a perfect engagement. I couldn't have written it better myself.

Kevin and Kristen's Story

We met our freshman year of college at UC Irvine. What started out as "dorm love" quickly became true love and we've been inseparable ever since. We spent our college years having fun with friends, taking trips (to Santa Barbara and other fun spots- like Europe!) and sometimes we even studied! We discovered we have a million things in common, but the passion we both share for traveling became our focus after we graduated from college.

We decided to explore a new country and continent together. We moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to become English teachers and travel throughout South America. We had an amazing year together exploring a different corner of the world and learning more about each other.

After Argentina, we decided to get started with a new life back in California. Kevin started working in finance at Schools First Federal Credit Union, while I became a high school English teacher at Northview High School. This new life worked well for about two years, but soon Kevin and I were hungry for new adventures. Instead of jetting off to another country again, we've decided to brave graduate school! Kevin will be going to law school and I will be working on an MFA in Creative Writing. Kevin hopes to practice law in the Orange County area and I am planning to someday combine my love of writing with my passion for teaching. Kevin and I are working together to acheive our individual dreams.

We feel incredibly lucky to have spent the past 7 years together and we're thrilled to be committing the rest of our lives to each other. We know there will be many more years of love and adventure to come.

We are starting a new feature today. A Joyeux Bride. Our first Bride is Kristen. Here is her story..

Beverage Monday.

Christmas Cocktails

Here are some warm Christmas drinks to share with friends and one just for yourself. Just the thing to warm you up after a night of caroling, parade watching or shopping.

Clarence's Hot Cranberry Toddy
This is named after the Clarence in "It's A Wonderful Life".

Serves 3-4

• 6 oz. cranberry vodka
• 1 pint cranberry juice
• 2 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 3 tsp. honey
• 6 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• Cinnamon sticks (garnish)

In a medium sauce pan heat all the ingredients {except the vodka} to just about the boiling point. Let stand for 1 minute. Add cranberry vodka and stir. Pour into heat-resistant cocktail glass or Irish coffee mug. Garnish with cinnamon sticks.

Mistletoe and Holly Cocktail

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 cups cranberry juice (100 percent juice)
• 1/4 cup white creme de cacao
• 1/4 cup 100-proof peppermint schnapps
• 1/4 cup heavy cream lightly whipped with 1 tsp. sugar for garnish
• 12 fresh cranberries {garnish}
• pinch of Matcha powder for garnish

Pour cranberry juice into a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat, add creme de cacao and peppermint schnapps and stir to blend and release some of the alcohol. Continue to cook over low heat for exactly 1 minute. Pour the hot beverage into Irish coffee mugs {footed glass mugs} and place a small dollop of whipped cream in each. Garnish with cranberry skewers. {3 cranberries on a bamboo skewer or heat proof swizzle stick} Use a fine-mesh sieve to gently tap a light dusting of Matcha over the whipped cream. Serve hot.

Cocoa Raspberry Heaven

Serves 1

• 1 oz. plus 1 tsp. Chambord
• 1 oz. white crème de cacao
• 8 oz. hot chocolate
• Whipped cream
• 1 fresh raspberry (optional)

Pour raspberry liqueur and white crème de cacao in a cappuccino mug.
Add hot chocolate and stir. Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Drizzle teaspoon of Chambord on top of the whipped cream. Top with a fresh raspberry.

Cheers,

All photos and recipes are courtesy of Fine Living.

Icy Cold Inspiration Board

For December, how about an ice blue, white snowflake with touches of silver inspitation board? When I started this I was thinking cold and icy. An Elegant, Winter Wonderland! Not at all what we get here in Southern California~unless it's man-made.

Silver Snowflake Invitation{Invitation Consultants}
Winter Table Setting{Canada~Vancouver Courier}
White Bouquet{The Knot}
Snowflake Cookies{FraziCake Blog}
Snowflake Earrings{Tiffany}
Ice Cuff Links{Etsy}
Ice Blue Bridesmaid Dress{Eden Bridals}
Snowflake Wine Stopper{Beau-Coup}
Candy Display~The Knot
Sugar Dusted White Cake{InStyle Magazine}
Crystal Shoes{Bellissima Bridal Shoes} Snowflake Ice Sculpture{Ice Impressions}

Enjoy,

High Heel Shoe Protectors

I have been seeing these around and I think they are perfect addition to my emergency kit. We have so many outdoor weddings here and the last thing you want on your wedding day is to sink into the grass or sand. You also don't want to feel that you need to be prancing around on your tip-toes. You don't want to turn away from that fabulous pair of heels because you are afraid of walking in them and ruining them by having to jerk them out of the grass with every step!

These are from Clean Heels, in the UK. They have quite a few different styles with a little bling!

These are from Solemates High Heelers they are little different and more function over fashion but they are patent pending. and located in the US.

The Smart Heel is not really used for grass or soft surfaces but it does help protect your stilettos from everyday damage


Happy Reading,

Beverage Monday.

Reindeer Ranch Wines

I don't usually feature wines here on Beverage Monday but when I saw these at Bristol Farms, I thought they were perfect for the season. They are available through Rutherford Wine Company. Won't they make a fun addition to your holiday table or party?
Cheers,